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UN adds Nigeria to countries with al-Qaeda affiliate

The United Nations has added the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, to its list of terrorist organisations formally recognised as being associated with al-Qaeda, according to a report by Defenseone.com.

The listing puts Nigeria on the UN map of countries having an Al-Qaeda affiliate.

The website said the UN in its statement stated that Boko Haram, “has maintained a relationship with the Organisation of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb for training and material support purposes.”

President Goodluck Jonathan had on Thursday in a national broadcast declared a full war on the group following its abduction of over 200 school girls on April 14, 2014.

The website observed that the UN listing of Nigeria as a home to one of Al-Qaeda affiliates, had put Nigeria on the map in a way Jonathan would have done best to avoid.

Pakistan is home to the largest number of al-Qaeda affiliates, with 12, followed by Afghanistan with five.

Meanwhile, a security consultant, Max Gbanite, has said that the funding for the war against terror should be sourced from the excess crude account and should be on the first line charge.

He said the current budgetary allocation to the security forces was inadequate and should be sourced from the excess crude account to empower the military to combat the security crisis in the country.

Gbanite advised President Jonathan to table a special request before the National Assembly on the effective funding of the security forces through deductions from excess crude account.

The consultant noted that Nigeria with the largest population and economy in Africa, should be able to fund its military adequately to respond to the challenges of the time.

He blamed systemic corruption for the rot in the military, noting that the purchase of sub-standard equipment and military hardware from China was a bad idea, adding that the country only produced generic weapons like Ak47.